June is here, spring is in full swing, and summer is not far off. You know what that means? Time for a home maintenance checkup. In addition to your indoor spring cleaning regimen, you should also give your home’s exterior some TLC after a long winter. This not only helps to minimize maintenance issues and costs before they become a problem, but it also improves your curb appeal, which is vital to your increasing home’s value.

Why Curb Appeal Matters
First impressions are everything. Whether you’re planning a move soon or in the next few years, maintaining your home’s curb appeal will help to increase its value when it comes time to sell. According to Consumer Reports, outdoor enhancements such as adding a patio, fixing the siding, or improving your landscaping can increase your home’s value from 3 to 5 percent.

In addition, most outdoor improvement projects offer a good bang for their buck. With simple projects like reseeding the lawn or implementing a standard lawn care program providing such high cost recoveries at resale (417 percent and 303 percent, respectively), keeping up with your curb appeal seems like a no-brainer.

So you’ve come to the conclusion that selling and moving to a new home/city is in your best interest. Maybe it’s to move to a better school district. Perhaps you’ve accepted a higher paying job in a new city or maybe you’re just ready for a change in climate or scenery. We’ve assembled a list of tips that may help make this process a little easier on you.

1. First thing’s first…. de-personalize

You will want to “remove yourself” from the home. In other words, take down extremely personal items such as portraits, Johnny’s finger paintings. Pack these times of items in clear, plastic totes with lids. You’ll want to skip the cardboard boxes when packing these irreplaceable items. You want potential buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls… not focusing on yours and wondering what kind of family is currently living here. Consider placing a “Welcome Home” sign in the entryway when you remove the latest family portrait. READ THE FULL POST HERE

Ummm…. How to “enjoy” Thanksgiving!? Yes! If you’ve ever hosted this holiday at your home…. you know what I’m talking about. We, at LeaderOne Financial, have the pleasure of helping many first time homebuyers purchase their first homes. Often, along with this rite of passage, comes the “honor” of hosting a major holiday gathering in your home. Also, for those who we’ve helped upgrade to their bigger dream homes, get ready to become the new hot spot for family gatherings! I’d like to offer this advice to those who have risen to the challenge of playing host:

Set the table the night before

I mean EVERYTHING! You can even place the empty serving dishes to strategically plan where everything will go when it’s time for the real deal. If you have children, give them the task of making place cards. 2 things will be accomplished here; the kids will be occupied for a couple of hours AND you can avoid seating crazy cousin Eddie who still talks about his crazy college partying days next to Uncle Joseph who is a pastor at a local church.

Aside from the obvious, baby wipes can be used for many other uses. You can clean the dashboard of your car and they won’t leave streaks. They’re great for cleaning up wet paint spots when painting. Use them to remove makeup and they won’t dry out your skin. They’re great for shining up black dress shoes. You can use them to dust furniture and clean hard wood floors. With a quick rubdown you can use them to remove excess hair from pets. They work great on faucets and shower walls to remove soap scum. When you run out of wipes the plastic containers are even great for storing toys, nuts and bolts or any other small items. Hail to the might baby wipe!

It’s about that time again. Time to put the kiddies back in school. Here’s a few tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics that will make this task a bit easier.

MAKING THE FIRST DAY EASIER

Remind your child that she is not the only student who is a bit uneasy about the first day of school. Teachers know that students are anxious and will make an extra effort to make sure everyone feels as comfortable as possible.

Point out the positive aspects of starting school: It will be fun. She’ll see old friends and meet new ones. Refresh her positive memories about previous years, when she may have returned home after the first day with high spirits because she had a good time.

Find another child in the neighborhood with whom your youngster can walk to school or ride with on the bus.

If you feel it is appropriate, drive your child (or walk with her) to school and pick her up on the first day.

As the heat of the summer hits, many homeowners are spending more time watering their lawn and landscape. In fact, experts estimate that July is one of the top months for landscape water use. That’s why the Irrigation Association (IA) has designated July as ‘Smart Irrigation Month’.

Nationwide, landscape irrigation is estimated to account for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day. Experts estimate that up to 50 percent of that water is lost due to over-watering, evaporation, or bad irrigation system design and maintenance. Here are some tips from the water management experts at Toro on how you can water your lawn and landscape with the utmost efficiency.

Put a layer of mulch around your plants. Mulching helps to retain moisture and prevents evaporation. A generous amount of 3-to-5 inches is best.

Recycle your grass clippings back into your lawn by using a mulching mower. You’ll not only conserve water, you’ll save time while mowing.

If you use a hose and portable sprinkler, buy a hose end timer to regulate your watering time.

Consider installing a home irrigation system. Properly installed automatic sprinkler and drip irrigation systems can eliminate the time and hassle of hauling hoses around your property. More important, irrigation systems decrease water consumption by improving the accuracy, timing and delivery of water, reducing runoff and preventing over watering.

If you already have a home irrigation system, consider upgrading your timer. New technology makes it easier than ever to program and monitor your watering needs. Also, make sure your system has a rain sensor. Many states and local water districts now require rain sensors that interrupt the watering program when a specific amount of rain has fallen.

Sweep your sidewalks and driveway rather than hosing them down.

Plant native plants that are adapted to your climate; they require less watering and can reduce outdoor water use by 20 to 50 percent.

Install a drip irrigation system around your shrubs, hanging baskets, flower and vegetable gardens. Drip irrigation systems use 50 percent less water than conventional sprinklers.

The best time to water is in the morning. Watering during this time of day reduces the amount of evaporation and allows plants to dry out during the day, which cuts down on diseases.